


The Kids Aren't Alright

by doubleknot



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Crying, Gen, Heavy Angst, Lee Minho | Lee Know-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-07 23:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubleknot/pseuds/doubleknot
Summary: Minho can feel a sob bubbling up in the back of his throat as he stands on one of the stairs and just stares down at the food. He wants to run whenever he hears the sound of boots strutting across the floor but he can't bring himself to move because he knows whatever is about to happen will only be worse if he does.ORNine boys in a foster home work through their problems together and learn what it's like to have an actual family.[originally published: 02-10-2018][edited and republished: 10-26-2018]





	1. Beaten In Lips

**Author's Note:**

> Beaten In Lips - Beartooth  
> ↳❝The kids with the beaten in lips whose parents try to shut them up using their fists❞
> 
> softer alternative:  
> Beautiful Bird - Mary Lambert  
> ↳❝We plucked all your feathers and we laughed at the horror❞
> 
>  
> 
> [WARNING: THIS CHAPTER INVOLVES CHILD ABUSE]

It's silent and any other person would enjoy the silence but it brought no comfort to Minho. It made him feel anxious and on edge; scared that he would ruin the silence by just breathing too loud and making his existence known. The teen walked slow and cautiously as he made his way down the hall, stepping in certain spots and staying close to the wall. This had become routine for the high school student and he could probably do this with his eyes closed but he didn't have the guts to even think about trying it. He held his breath as he squatted down at the top of the staircase and peered down into the living room.

The living room was empty, much to his relief, and silent just like the rest of the house. Minho was glad to see that the living room was empty because that made things easier for him but it did nothing to calm his anxiety. He had no idea where his father was and it had the seventeen year old walking on eggshells more than usual. He dropped down onto his hands and knees, turning until he was able to look down the hall, before he started to ease his way down the stairs slowly. It was a process that took some time and was torture on his knees but this was the easiest way to get down the stairs without making his presence known.

He was nearing the bottom of the staircase and he had finally taken his eyes off the hallway whenever his knee hit a loose board. The teen froze instantly at the loud groan that came from the wood, tears welling in his eyes just at the thought of being heard, and held his breath once again. He stayed like that for a while even though his knees were aching and his palms were sore in hopes that he hadn't been heard. Once he was sure that he hadn't been heard he made his way to the bottom of staircase and pushed himself up onto his feet. The brunet grabbed onto the banister of the stair case, hand tight on the polished wood, before he pushed himself forward.

No noise was made as he slid across the floor with his sock cladded feet which he was thankful for. He preferred climbing across the sofa instead but he had gotten caught standing on the love seat the last time he had tried to sneak into the kitchen and he had to miss a whole week of school after that incident so he stuck with sliding across the hard wood floor of the living room with his socks for now. Minho struggles to grab onto the kitchen door frame, holding on for dear life whenever he almost slides into the side table that's by his dad's recliner. Everything in the house seems to freeze just like the teen does as he leans his head against the wall, waiting for his dad to come barging out of the kitchen to ask him what he's doing but much to his surprise nothing happens. He peers around the doorway and has to keep himself from gasping when he sees that his dad isn't in there either; he must be asleep in his room or out somewhere. 

It's now or never so Minho wastes no time in rushing over to the cabinets as quickly and quietly as he can and throws them open. His dad has been acting too nice lately, he's actually been letting Minho sit in the same room as him and letting him eat dinner as well, so he figures it won't be long before he snaps like he always does which means Minho needs to restock his secret stash of food that he keeps hidden in his room. He shoved three granola bars, two small bags of trail mix, and two poptart packages into the front pocket of his hoodie before he closed the cabinets and moves onto the fridge. He had just finished putting two sticks of string cheese in his pocket whenever the door that leads into the garage flies open. The teen is pretty sure that he feels his soul leave his body as he fumbles to close the fridge door when his dad walks into the kitchen.

No one says anything as Minho just stands there, trying to keep himself from cowering, and lets his father stare at him. He hates being on the receiving end of his dad's scrutinizing glares but he knows that he's got to act like everything's okay right now. One wrong word or move from him and this could all go downhill very fast. "What are you doing," His dad asks sharply and it takes everything in the teen for him not to flinch at his bitter tone. He doesn't take long to think of a lie, lying could get him in trouble but hesitance would be the death of him.

"I was just looking to see what I could make for dinner," He meets his dad's eyes and forces a small smile on his face, "cause I figured it would be nice for you to get to relax for once instead of having to come home and slave away in the kitchen." The older male just nods at this, walking all the way into the kitchen after he shuts the door behind him. Minho's heart is racing so fast that he's surprised his father can't hear it as he walks over to him. His father looks him over, he has to stop himself from shuddering, before he nods once more. "I was actually thinking we could have pizza tonight. How's that sound?"

The question is shocking but he tries to keep the shock off his face as he nods. "Yeah, that sounds great," He states and smiles again at the man which earns him a smile in return. It's moments like these that makes Minho think that there's a chance of him getting the man he actually knew as his father back but he knew better than to trust the good moments that they had. His dad walks off into the living room after that, probably to go watch tv, and Minho wills himself to relax as he sighs softly. After taking a moment to collect himself he walks into the living room, making sure to walk around the couch instead of making the mistake of walking past the tv, and starts to head for the stairs. 

"Minnie, you should come watch tv with me. It's been so long since you've spent time with me."

Minho freezes, one foot set on the bottom stair and the other on the living room floor, before he looks over at his father. The man he used to look up to is sat up on the edge of the couch with a hopeful look on his face and all Minho can do is shake his head. "I was going to go order the pizza from the site of that place you like then go back to doing my homework. I can watch tv with you once I finish though," He offers whenever the hopeful look falls off his father's face in hopes that it'll keep him calm. The man just nods and Minho takes that as the best answer so he starts up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He's halfway up the stairs whenever a granola bar slips out of his pocket and bounces down the stairs and slides across the living room floor before it stills.

Minho can feel a sob bubbling up in the back of his throat as he stands on one of the stairs and just stares down at the food. He wants to run whenever he hears the sound of boots strutting across the floor but he can't bring himself to move because he knows whatever is about to happen will only be worse if he does. He watches silently as his father picks up the granola bar and quietly examines it like he's never seen such a thing before. He can't react fast enough whenever his father slings it at him, the snack hitting him in his chest, it doesn't really hurt but it scares him. "So now you're not only a liar but you're a thief too. I should've known you'd turn out just like your mother," The male barks out and Minho jumps at how loud he's getting. 

"Dad, I promise I just grabbed it as a snack to have before dinner," He tries to reason as the man walks over to the bottom of the staircase. He just stares at him before he snaps his fingers and points at the bottom stair. Minho swallows thickly as he walks down to the bottom stair, his head bowed, and stands in front of his father. He gasps as his father reaches into his hoodie pocket and pulls out the snacks he had. This is it, he knows that he's about to get one of the worst beatings he's ever had whenever he sees the look that crosses his father's face as he looks at all the snacks he just pulled out of Minho's hoodie.

The teen starts to back up, going up a few stairs, as his father throws the food onto the floor. He turns around as soon as his father meets his eyes and starts up the stairs as fast as he can. It seems that he wasn't fast enough because his father lunges forward and grabs onto the back of his hoodie. The unrelenting grip on the hoodie makes the teen slip and his face meets the hard wood of one of the stairs causing hot, white pain to shot up his nose and throughout his whole face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He sputters out through the blood that's pouring from his nose whenever he rolls over onto his back as soon as he feels his father let go of the large, worn out hoodie. 

His father doesn't say anything though and just grabs onto one of his legs and starts pulling him down the stairs. The brunet wraps his arms around his head as best as he could to keep from hitting it on the stairs but he could do nothing for the rest of his body as it hit every stair on the way down. "Dad please no. I'm sorry. I won't do it again," He cries as he wiggles around, trying to get out of the man's hold. He gets no response as he hits the floor, his head feels like it's rattling whenever it bounces against the hard wood, and is still be dragged. A thought crosses his mind and before he can even debate on doing it he acts on it, he'd do just about anything now to get himself out of this.

He kicks out with his free foot and kicks at his father's hand until he feels him let go of his leg. He pays no mind to his father cussing at him as he rolls over and pushes himself up onto his feet before he goes to run to the stairs. It's not like he gets far because of course he had to be wearing socks, so as soon as he tries to run he hits the floor. The seventeen year old has no time to try to get up this time because he's being grabbed by both of his legs and dragged again. He squirms and thrashes in the man's hold until he realizes that he's been dragged into the kitchen and that his father isn't stopping; he's being taken to the garage. 

His cries turn into screams at that realization. His pleas and shrieks fall upon deaf ears. There's no hope for him now.


	2. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can him being taken out of the only home he's ever lived in, granted it wasn't the best place to live, and placing him in some boys home mean new beginnings? It just honestly sounded like his life was just going down hill from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pain - Of Mice & Men  
> ↳❝Now there’s nothing left that you can take away from me.❞
> 
> softer alternative:  
> Born Sad - Mary Lambert  
> ↳❝Keeping my head above water is all that I know how to do.❞

Minho jerks awake, gasping as he sits up, and he almost panics whenever he realizes that he's in the back seat of a car. He frantically looks around until his eyes land on the guy driving the car. He sighs loudly once he recognizes the person and leans back in the seat, the old, worn out leather crackling underneath him, remembering why he's even in the car in the first place. He had been removed from his home a few nights ago because his neighbors had called the police complaining about hear arguing and screaming. He swallowed thickly as he remembers what the police walked into his home to find.

The teen notices the guy, his social worker Jae, looking at him in the rear view mirror with a quirked brow. "You okay, kid," The older male asks and Minho can only be bothered to give him a small "yep" as an answer as he looks down at his arms. His arms were covered in bruises, scratches, and scars which made him furrow his brows together at the sight of them. He knew there was more bruises all over his body and face; he could feel them throbbing in pain along with his ribs but he was so use to it that the ache was pretty much second nature to the teen. He normally would wear long sleeves to cover up such injuries but he couldn't even move on his own whenever the police had shoved up that night so it was needless to say that he wasn't there whenever his social worker went to his house the next morning and packed him some clothes so none of them had been long sleeved much to his misfortune.

The brunet was brought out of his thoughts whenever he felt the car come to a stop; "We're here," Jae says as he cranes his neck to look over his shoulder and into the backseat to give Minho a wide smile. Minho manages to force himself to give him back a small smile which even the social worker can tell is fake but they both know that's all he's going to get out of the teen for now. The seventeen year old watches as the man sighs before getting out of the parked car and shutting the door behind him. He slowly follows after him with his worn out navy blue duffel bag that holds his small abundance of clothes that Jae had packed for him in his hold. He sees Jae already making his way to the front door of the building but Minho can't manage to make himself move, he's too busy staring at the building.

Minho stares at the large building, his brown eyes instantly going to the brightly painted sign that's in the yard. It reads "Flower Paths: a Boys Home for New Beginnings." and the teen can't help but scoff as soon as he reads it. How can him being taken out of the only home he's ever lived in, granted it wasn't the best place to live, and placing him in some boys home mean new beginnings? It just honestly sounded like his life was just going down hill from here. He tears his dark eyes away from the sign whenever he hears Jae call for him.

Minho makes his way down the small footpath that led to the steps of house's wrap around porch and up to the front door. Once he's at the front door beside the social worker, Jae reaches over and pushes the doorbell that's beside the door frame. Minho was silent as he listened to the melodic chime of the bell ring from inside the house before the large, thick oak door is pulled open. Minho can't help but quirk a brow in question whenever he sees that a short boy around his age dressed in all black is standing at the door. "Hey Changbin, my man," Jae exclaims before him and the teen, Changbin, do some sort of complicated handshake that Minho's eyes can't even follow before he sends him off to go get some people named Nichkhun and Wooyoung which he guessed were the two who run this group home.

Before the seventeen year old can ask his social worker anything about who these Nichkhun and Wooyoung were, two males who seemed to be in their late twenties or maybe even early thirties walked up to the front door. "Khun," Jae exclaims as the taller of the two pulls him into a hug. Seeing how familiar Jae seems to be with them and that other boy Minho guesses that he's worked with some of the boys here before so he actually knows the two personally. The other guy beside Nichkhun is trying his hardest not to stare at Minho's bruises but Minho notices anyways and nervously wraps his hands around his arms as an attempt to cover them up. Minho is sure that he was staring at them in disgust which he was staring but it wasn't for the reason Minho thought it was; Wooyoung was staring at them in horror because how could someone bring harm to a child?

**_\----_ **

Jae didn't stay for long, all he did was come inside with Minho and went over Minho's situation with Wooyoung and Nichkhun even though it seems that they already knew it and had went over it more than once. Once Jae had left Minho finally got a good look at the house's breath taking interior. It was nothing but high sloped ceilings, warm beige colored walls, a large living room with three couches, a flat screen tv, and a brick lined fire place. If the living room was that beautiful he couldn't even begin to imagine what the rest of the house looked like. He came out of his thoughts whenever he felt out a hand come down on his shoulder.

The simple touch made him flinch as he turned around to look at who touched him only to come face to face with Wooyoung who was holding his hands out in front of him to show that he meant no harm. Minho's heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest as he takes a few shaky breaths, he felt bad for reacting like that but the only touches he knew always resulted in bad things. "I'm sorry hun, I didn't mean to scare you. I probably should've put more thought into what I was doing since all that you've been through," He apologizes, his voice soft and gentle as he gives him a small smile. Minho could have cried from how kind he was being because Minho hasn't been shown kindness in years. He's sure he really would've cried if it wasn't for the one thing that Wooyoung said that caught his attention.

"What I've been through? You know about...all of that," He asks, his tone sharp yet hollow at the same time as he thinks about all that they could know. "Yeah, we know about that. The state is required to tell us those things before a new child is brought into the group home," Nichkhun confirms as he walks up beside Wooyoung and loops an arm around his waist before he gives. Minho's mind just kind of goes blank after that as he freezes in his spot. The bruised up teen felt like he couldn't breathe anymore as tears threaten to fall from his eyes. He couldn't, and wouldn't, cry in front of strangers though so he took a few deep, shaky breathes as best as he could since his ribs were keeping him from doing much of anything before he blinked his eyes rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

"Of course you know," He mumbles under his breath but it was loud enough for the apparent couple to hear because Nichkhun chuckles and Wooyoung just gives the teen an amused smile. Minho tried to smile back at him but all he could manage was to do something that looked akin to a dog baring their teeth. The couple tries not to laugh at the action and it makes Minho feel a little less nervous. He should've known that they were going to know everything because they had to but he just pushed that thought to the back of his mind for now since he didn't want to stress himself out about it. He had other things to stress himself out about right now anyways like meeting the other kids in the group home.

It seemed like Wooyoung had read his mind because he turns to Minho and starts speaking. "How about we go get you settled into your room and then you can met the rest of the boys at dinner," Wooyoung says as Nichkhun saunters off to where the teen believes the kitchen is. Minho looks at the burgundy haired man and gives a small nod. "You'll have to share a room with Changbin but I'm sure you two will get along just fine so hopefully that's not a problem," He adds as Minho watches him grab his duffel bag off the floor where he had left it near the door and starts to make his way up the stairs. Wooyoung stops once he's on about the third stair and looks back to see still Minho just standing there.

"Well come on," He said as he grins at him before making his way up the stairs and Minho hesitates before following after him. He wondered if Wooyoung and Nichkhun were always this nice and kind. He also wondered that if the caretakers were that kind then were the boys here that kind too. He guessed he would find out soon enough at dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't proofread so I'm sorry for any mistakes that can be found in it.


	3. Teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The buzz of people talking and the clatter of silverware against plates is all he can hear even though they're not in the kitchen yet and his anxiety is eating away at him. He's not ready for this, he can't do this, he's never going to be ready for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teenagers - My Chemical Romance  
> ↳❝Teenagers scare the living shit out of me.❞

Minho felt very tempted to throw himself out of one of the windows that was in the room he was sitting in. He was just awkwardly sitting on the edge of the twin bed that was in the corner of the room by one of the very windows he was thinking about throwing himself out of. He had only been in here for three minutes and Changbin was just staring at him as he sat in the middle of the bed that was on the other side of the room. Minho tried to ignore the other's stares and just opted for staring at the walls that were painted a charcoal grey. After about a mere forty more seconds Changbin finally broke the awkward silence that filled their room.

"I hope you know staring at the walls isn't going to magically make you disappear," He stated as he shifted on his bed to cross his legs criss-cross apple sauce style and propped his elbow on his knee as he set his chin in the palm of his hand. Minho jumped at the sound of his voice having not expected him to suddenly speak after just staring at him for so long. "Oh yeah, I know," Minho answers as his fingers find their way to the hem of his shirt and curl around it out of habit. Changbin just hummed softly and stared at him for a few more seconds before he grabbed his phone from off his pillow and started to mess on it. Minho couldn't help but feel relieved at the fact that he wasn't being stared at anymore.

The teen glanced over at Changbin to make sure he wasn't staring before he slide his duffel bag across the floor and set it in front of his feet. The loud rasp of the zipper broke the silence as Minho opened it causing the teen to tense up. He waited and waited for Changbin to react to him being loud but nothing ever happened. He glanced over at the other teen and was surprised to see that he hadn't even so much as breathed in Minho's direction; he was still messing on his phone, giggling every now and then at something that was apparently funny, much to Minho's relief. Any sudden loud noises use to get him in trouble but that didn't seem to be the case here.

After a few minutes Minho willed himself to relax before he started putting his things away. He didn't have much so his clothes hardly even filled the two drawers of the white dresser that was placed between both of the beds. He frowned whenever he noticed that but it's not like it mattered because all of his clothes at home had been either too small, too old, or too torn up to wear. He guessed Jae had only grabbed what he knew Minho could fit. The teen pushed the drawer shut and slid his now empty duffel bag under his bed before he dropped his body down onto it.

He regretted the action as soon as he did it; his ribs screamed in pain and he could feel still healing wounds stretch and threaten to reopen. He gasped sharply, his hands flying to hold at his right side, as tears pricked at his eyes. Minho had many injuries before, wounds so deep that they had to have staple, stitches, or even both and concussions that made his skull feel like it was going to break into pieces from how much the pain made his head throb, but he had never had to deal with fractured ribs before.

"Cracked ribs hurt like a bitch, don't they?"

The seventeen year old looked over towards the opposite side of the room to find Changbin looking at him. He could only bring himself to nod as he took wheezy, short breaths. The younger hummed softly at that before he got up off the bed. "Do you have any pain killers to take," He asked as he stood in middle of the room and once more Minho nodded his head. Changbin hummed again before he turned on the balls of his feet and walked out the room, shutting the door gently after himself.

The pained teen could only keep his confusion to himself because calling after him would bring too much attention to himself plus yelling would be too much strain on his poor body. He didn't have to be confused for long because the younger teen came back holding an ice pack and a bottle of water. Minho quirked a brow at him whenever he held the items out towards him which made the small teen huff before pushing them into his hands. "They're for you," He stated once he managed to get them into Minho's hands. "Oh," was all Minho could bring himself to say.

He felt like an idiot for saying it but Changbin seemed to be pleased with the simple answer because he just gave him a small smile before he plopped back down on his own bed. Minho eased up into a sitting position as best as he could before leaning over the side of the bed and pulling his duffel bag back out from under it. He tossed it up onto the bed beside him since it only had two very light things in it. He hastily unzipped the worn out bag and grabbed the orange colored medicine bottle out of it. They had only prescribed him 400 milligram ibuprofen, it didn't do much but it was better than nothing.

The brunet popped the cap off of it before he held the bottle to his mouth and shook it until he had two of the pills on his tongue. He put the cap back on it and grabbed the water Changbin had given him. He was surprised to find that the lid on the water bottle had already been loosened for him but he didn't voice his surprise as he took a couple of sips from it to wash down the ibuprofen. The teen turned to Changbin, ready to thank him, only to find him already watching him with a blank expression. Minho couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong but he just marked it down as him just overthinking things.

\----

  
It's almost an hour later whenever there's a knock on their door before it's pushed open a mere second later. A boy pokes his head in and looks at Changbin. "Dinner's ready," he states as he pushes some of his strawberry blond hair out of his eye. "Okay, we'll be down in a minute," Changbin comments and even though Minho wants to let it be known that he can speak for himself he can't bring himself to talk and bring attention to himself. The blond nods and glances in Minho's direction as he shuts the door, giving him a small smile as he did so.

Minho finds himself standing in the middle of the staircase a moment later. Changbin is waiting at the bottom of the staircase for him but the teen can't seem to make himself move. The buzz of people talking and the clatter of silverware against plates is all he can hear even though they're not in the kitchen yet and his anxiety is eating away at him. He's not ready for this, he can't do this, he's never going to be ready for this.

"Minho, you good?"

Changbin is staring at him with a quirked brow and he can only bring himself to nod. "Yeah," he breathes out, "I'm good. Just...nervous." The small teen nods at this before he steps up the staircase and stops once he's only two steps away from Minho. Minho finds himself wanting to take a few steps back because this feels all too familiar but he can't find the will to move. "Look, I know this probably has you scared shitlessly and that this is a lot to take in but there's nothing to worry about here. It's a safe place here. I mean sure the other boys can get loud and act...reckless some times but they know what it's like to be new here. They're not going to hold anything against you or mess with you," he states and the brunet just nods softly at his statement unable to find anything to say.

Changbin nods back before he turns and walks back down the stairs, this time Minho follows him. Everyone is already eating and talking at the dining table whenever they walk in. The teen falls out of step with Changbin and nervously stood in the doorway of the dinging room. There was a lot of people, if he included himself he was pretty sure there was eight people sitting at the table, and he really wasn't sure if he wanted to join them.

"You can come and sit down, you know that right?"

Minho jumped whenever he realized he was being talked to. He glanced around the room, all eyes were on him now, and nodded at the wide eyed, chubby cheeked teen that had spoke to him. He slowly made his way over to the table, picking one of the empty chairs that was near the end of the table where Nichkhun was sitting, before he gingerly sat down. "Guys, this is Minho, the new kid we told you about. Please welcome him with open arms and open minds. It wasn't easy for any of you whenever you first came here and I'm sure it's not easy for him either," Nichkhun states and he's answered by a variety of nods, "yeah"s and "yes sir"s. Minho looks around the table and gives a small awkward wave to everyone.

"Uh...I'm Minho, it's nice to meet you all," He says just as Wooyoung walks into the room and sets a plate in front of him and then one in front of Changbin. He utters out a small 'thank you' to the man earning a smile in return before he sat down at the head of the table. "I'm Felix," the strawberry blond from early comments as he loops an arm around the wide eyed boy, "and this is Jisung." Jisung was too busy on chewing his food so he just waved at him. They started going around the table introducing themselves and Minho tried to think of ways to remember who was who.

(He could remember Changbin the easiest because of the sharp angles of his face and his height. Felix was easy to remember because of his hair and the freckles that spread across his nose and cheeks. Jisung was another easy one with his chubby cheeks and wide eyes that made Minho think of anime characters for some reason. Hyunjin was all soft face and thick lips. Woojin reminded the teen of a teddy bear and oddly enough he was okay with that.)

Seungmin was in the middle of introducing himself whenever the sound of the front door opening stopped him mid sentence. The sound was quickly followed by the door slamming shut and hurried footsteps on the hardwood floor. "Sorry I'm late," the person created all the noise walked into the kitchen, dropping a bookbag near the doorway as he did so, "BamBam and I got really caught up in studying." Minho watched as the newcomer sat down in one of the empty chairs and ran a hand through his messy blond hair. "Uh huh, I'm sure you two got real busy studying," Jisung teases which causes Seungmin and a few others to snicker.

The blond sputters as he looks at the younger teen. "We really were," he exclaims trying to defend himself causing the others to laugh. Minho feels out of place because everyone is able to laugh and joke around like they're one big happy family while he feels like he's invading their privacy. The blond just huffs at the others who're laughing before he notices Minho. "Oh, I thought the new kid wasn't suppose to come until tomorrow," he states as he looks between Nichkhun and Wooyoung.

"Well social services got some things worked out and Minho was able to come today," Wooyoung explains as he holds a hand in front of his mouth as he chews. "Ah I see," The blond mumbles before he looks over at Minho. The teen tenses up preparing himself for the other to say something or for this happy family front to disappear. "It's nice to meet you Minho, I'm Chan," He greets him and gives him a wide, dimpled smile. "It's nice to meet you too," Minho utters and smiles back as best as he could without looking like a dog baring his teeth.

Everyone seems to fall back into something that Minho is certain is practically routine to them as Chan gets up to get himself a plate of food. They're all talking and joking around while they eat, making sure to include Minho as they talk. "My food is cold," Chan complains in the middle of their conversation. "If you wouldn't have been too busy studying how BamBam's tongue feels down your throat maybe your food wouldn't be cold," Changbin jeers, smiling around his fork after he takes a bite of his food. Whenever Chan gets all flustered and everyone throws jokes around and teases the blond Minho can't help but smile and laugh along. This was something he hadn't experienced in forever. It felt like he was part of something once again. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little more on the softer side of things and a lot of chapters will be because it would just be exhausting for every chapter to be nothing but angst. Sorry for taking so long to update this, I haven't been in the best state of mind lately and haven't been able to write much now until today.

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this story will deal with some very serious and heavy subjects such as child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, drug use, and many more triggering things. Please do not force yourself to read this story if you think it will make you feel uncomfortable or trigger you in anyway. I will put warnings before every chapter if anything triggering is in it though.
> 
> I would also like to point out that the things that are talked about and portrayed in this story are not used just to be a plot. Child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, drug use and any of the other things I may or may not bring into this story are very serious things that happen and are not just something to use as plot in stories. I wish to inform people about a lot of these things because these things mostly get portrayed wrong in the media. This story does hold a personal place in my heart because I will be putting some of my own experiences into it but I won't be saying what they are. Anyways it feels good to bring this story back!!


End file.
